A Little More Time
by NERC
Summary: What if Voldemort attempted to get Hogwarts the first time around? One-shot.


**AN: Written for round eight of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition**

 **Prompt, How and when does Voldemort 'win' or rise to power?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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 _They should have seen it coming. Maybe some of them had. But in the end it didn't really matter. They lost, plain and simple._

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Minerva McGonagall could not figure out where that had gone so wrong. How could the boy she knew in school become someone so hated? Minerva knew that Lord Voldemort was not the Tom Riddle she knew, but she had hopped he would stop before it got to this point. Now however, he was at Hogwarts. He was getting ready to release a full-fledged attack on the children of the wizarding world. She looked to her side where Albus Dumbledore was standing. After double checking that there were no students within earshot, she asked him the question she knew all the staff was thinking.

"Albus, can we win this?"

The old headmaster sighed. "We should try to evacuate the students. Try to start with the younger years and work your way up."

Minerva felt her heart stop, what he was saying made perfect sense. What he wasn't saying however, left very little doubt about his opinion of the outcome.

"Albus," she repeated, "Can we win this?"

He sighed once more as he surveyed his staff, all of them ready to fight with him. "Without back up," he began, trying to choose his words wisely, "We can only fight for time."

Minerva's brain started to shut down. How could they even hope to survive this?

Why were they even fighting?

Why didn't they just give up?

"Minerva!"

The shout startled her out of her train of thought. She looked at Albus questionably.

"Round up the rest of the staff, evacuate the students."

"How am I supposed to do that? We're surrounded Albus. The floo has been cut off."

Albus thought for a moment. "Ask Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, if anyone knows another – simple- way out, it will be those boys."

Minerva nodded and set off to do what he asked.

* * *

As the professors returned to the castle, the headmaster continued to cast more wards, both around the grounds and the castle itself, hoping it would at least give them enough time to get the children out. Albus looked around the grounds, the centaurs had come out to fight, and he knew the merepeople would protect the lake, but he also knew they were greatly outnumbered. He watched the edge of the grounds and prayed that the Ministry had been alerted.

* * *

Minutes later the outer wards fell under the onslaught of spells and the grounds of Hogwarts were swarmed by death eaters. Within what felt like seconds, Albus and a lone centaur on the other side of the battle were the only ones left standing. He was an excellent duellist, but one can only protect so many angles at once. Albus Dumbledore knew he was dead, the only question was whether he could stay alive long enough to give his students a future.

Minerva was sending off the last of the fourth years when she saw Albus fall.

She immediately called for the rest of the students. She could hear the distant sounds of people trying to get past the wards, and knew that they would soon succeed. As the first seventh year, Lily Evans, started to go through the passage, the secondary wards fell. Minerva urged the students on. She and Filius, being the last to enter, slipped inside and closed the entrance just in time. Seconds later they could hear the death eaters running past.

As she came out into Hogsmeade she saw that, fortunately, the death eaters had not yet reached the town. She found every of age helper she could and got them to start apperating the younger students home.

However their luck did not last long, only a handful of students had been taken home when Minerva saw the black mass that was the death eaters begin their journey down from the castle. Minerva faltered, with Albus gone it was up to her to keep these students safe. She called Filius over, and together they put up wards around the village, agreeing on which spells they would use to communicate. Minerva knew that they would not win this fight, at this point it was no longer about winning. It was about surviving, escaping.

All the residents of Hogsmeade were long gone, having fled when the castle was attacked. The Aurors had not arrived. Minerva was left with a handful of professors and a single year's class of fully trained students to get everyone out. She looked around, some of the seventh years were making portkeys for the children. She knew they could get everyone out. They just needed a little more needed a distraction. Minerva had an idea, an incredibly foolish idea. One that would probably result in her death, but at least it would buy them time.

"Filius." She called, walking over to where he was helping with the portkeyes.

The charms professor turned around and stepped away from the students to prevent them from overhearing.

"I am going to stall them." Minerva informed him. "Get the kids out."

Filius opened his mouth to object, knowing full well that her chances of survival were next to none, but then closed it. The way Minerva had set her shoulders, the tightness in her jaw and the gleam in her eyes all told him that she had made her decision. Now she simply wanted reassurance that it would be worth it.

"Consider them gone."

Three words. Three little words and Minerva was gone, both professors knowing full well that it could easily be the last ones she ever heard him say.

Minerva walked up the side of the pathway, staying under the cover of the trees, wondering for the millionth time where the Aurors were. Then it hit her. They weren't going to get any help from the Ministry because the Ministry had already fallen. She allowed herself a moment to consider what that meant for the future before resuming her walk. A few moments later, Minerva stopped and started to set up wards that she knew would draw attention. Woven within her protections enchantments were pranking charms. She had discovered this particular combination while she was at Hogwarts, when she had been working with Tom.

Sure enough, when the death eaters attempted to bring the wards down they found themselves on the receiving ends of misshaped body parts, and clothing. Minerva couldn't help but smile at the death eater's situation.

She knew Brittan had fallen. With both the Ministry and Hogwarts under Voldemort's control, how could it have not? There was no longer any hope for them here.

"How creative Minerva."

The aged professor did not turn around. "I thought so."

A humourless laugh comes from behind her. "What did you hope to accomplish? Surely you know you can't win."

Minerva help back a sigh and remained silent for a moment as she reinforced her wards.

"No," She finally replied, "We cannot win today." She paused again. "But Tom, surely you know that you will not win all that you wanted?"

After a minute of no response, she turned around.

"I will." He said after another moment of silence.

Now it was her turn to laugh. "No Tom." She said, "You won't"

He raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

The reply came without hesitation. "You took the easy way."

"Pardon?"

Had Minerva McGonagall been any less of a Gryffindor, she would have faltered at his tone, instead she kept going.

"You could have been great Tom." She started to say as she absentmindedly fixed her wards. "If you had stayed away from death and pain and torment, you could have succeeded. You would have gained enough influence in our world to bring back some of the old traditions. To give muggleborn students better upbringings. You would have accomplished all that and so much more without the loss of life. If only you had worked with us."

There was a silence.

"Perhaps."

"It would have taken longer, but it would have had a lasting effect. By using the magics and methods that you have, you chose the easy path. Eventually this entire war will be in history books. I can promise you one thing Tom, those books will not have you as the winner."

Down in Hogsmeade, red sparks flew into the air, informing Minerva that all the students had been safely evacuated. Minerva turned to face the town and sent up yellow sparked of her own, silently telling Filius to leave the town without her.

She felt the tip of a wand press onto her temple as her prank wards finally fell.

"Perhaps." He said again. "However at the moment, Minerva, I am winning this way and I will continue to win this way." He paused. "Thank you for the chat Minnie."

The use of her sold nickname made her blood run cold. She knew what the next words out of his mouth would be, but she had no energy left to fight.

Minerva McGonagall closed her eyes, bracing herself.

'At least the students are safe.' She thought.

"Avada Kedavra."

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 **AN: Thanks for reading. Reviews are always nice.**


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